Vikings Might Top NFC North In 2017 | Ticket King

As we continue our mock draft tour, our next stop is the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings addressed their offensive line needs in free agency, and can now turn to other needs in the draft. Vikings fans thought that last season was “their year.” With a healthy quarterback, solid free agents, and a couple of key draft picks this season, they might go deep into the playoffs this year.  

Round 2: Dan Feeney/OG/Indiana- The Vikings addressed their tackle needs in free agency. They still need another guard. Feeney could start from day one.

Round 3A: Dalvin Tomlinson/DT/Alabama- Sharrif Floyd was a borderline bust and there is injury concern with Tom Johnson. One of the Vikings top priorities is defensive tackle in this draft. Tomlinson is a nice fit as a 4-3 defensive tackle.

Round 3B: JuJu Smith-Schuster/WR/USC- The Vikings need to continue to build their wide receiver unit. This is a little bit different of a package that speed demons out of USC in recent years. Smith-Schuster is tough, possession receiver and that is what he will be at the next level.

Round 4A: Brad Kaaya/QB/Miami- I have never been a fan of the Sam Bradford trade, and I do think that Brad Kaaya is the one potential gold mine in this weak quarterback class.

Round 4B:  Kareem Hunt/RB/Toledo- The Latavius Murray signing means the end of Adrian Peterson in Minnesota. Still, the Vikings need a running back out of this draft. At 5'10”, 216 pounds, Hunt is a tough between the tackles runner.

Round 5: Connor Harris/ILB/Lindenwood- The Vikings need some linebacker depth out of this draft. These late round small school kids always seem to play with an edge. Connor Harris, out of Lindenwood University in St. Louis, Missouri, seems to be a good fit in this 4-3 zone run defense.

Round 6: Jonnu Smith/TE/Florida International- The last two selections have been from small schools, so let's keep the theme going. Jonnu Smith could be a nice backup tight end of the Vikings.

Round 7: Zane Gonzalez/K/Arizona State- If Gonzalez doesn't end up in Minnesota, there is going to be a lot of experts who look really foolish.  

2017 Packers Mock Draft | Ticket King Green Bay

Wisconsin sports fans have their eyes on the NCAA tournament. They are just weeks away from Brewers opening day. What are we doing up here in Green Bay? We're talking about the Packers mock draft. For that, we turn to T.J. Bryce as he just polished his crystal ball, and is ready to throw down his mock draft picks for the Packers. 

Round 1: Takkarist McKinley/OLB/UCLA- This has been a strange off season so far for the Packers, hasn't it? Now their priority switches to corner-back, outside linebacker, and interior offensive lineman. You can find lots of good interior lineman in later rounds and this corner-back pool is maybe the deepest in decades. I know the “fanboys” want T.J. Watt in this spot. Yes I know he's a name you recognize and he played at Wisconsin. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. McKinley's a better player.

Round 2: Kevin King/CB/Washington- The Packers have enough zone and slot corners. They need a guy who can grow into an “ace cover man.” At 6'3”, closer to 6'4”, 200 pounds, King has the size and “measurable” to do just that.

Round 3: Jaleel Johnson/DT/DE/Iowa- At 6'3”, 320 pounds, Johnson can play either inside as a pass rushing nose tackle or outside as a run stopping defensive end. He’s a good rotational player and a good athlete. The Packers badly need some depth along that line, out of this draft.

Round 4: Nico Siragusa/OG/San Diego State- I originally had this man going to the Vikings a couple of months ago, but with the changes to both team's lines via free agency, the Packers have a need at guard. Siragusa could start playing on day one.

Round 5A: James Conner/RB/Pittsburgh- The Packers also need a running back out of this draft. At 5'11”, 235 pounds, Conner is a tough, cold weather slugger who gets even better in bad weather and it fits perfectly for this team in this climate.

Round 5B: Jarron Jones/DT/DE/Notre Dame- At 6'6”, 316 pounds, Jones is another good athlete who would make for a fantastic rotational player along line defensive line, one that can play either inside on passing downs or outside on rushing downs.

Round 6: Marquez White/CB/Florida State- The Packers could really use two corners out of this draft. White could make for a good nickel/dime slot corner and a special teams player.

Round 7: Corey Levin/OG/C/Chattanooga- Levin has the size and versatility to player either center or guard in the NFL as a backup. That’s a good fit for the Packers. 

Packers Options for Free Agent Pick Ups in 2017 | Ticket King Green Bay

NFL Free Agency is almost upon us. Ted Thompson is never one to toss "Stupid Money" at a free agent, and it's unlikely that he will change his stripes this year. It is okay to dabble in free agency, but only to find a specific fit for a team, Let's hope the Packers don't offer any 100 million dollar contracts either. Here are some names the Packers should look at.

Leodis Mckelvin/CB- After a long successful tenure in Buffalo, McKelvin signed a free agency contract with the Eagles. 2016 was not good for him. Since he was released, this is a cornerback the Packers should look at. Nothing more than two years though, and no guaranteed money past the first season.

Darrelle Revis/CB- There was a time when it did not get any better at the cornerback position in the NFL than Darrelle Revis. But, Revis is now 31, and was one of the Jets cap casualties last week. Same situation as above. Nothing more than two years, and no guaranteed money past the first season.

Alterraun Verner/CB- Unlike the first two on this list, Verner is a few years younger, 28 to be exact, and it might take more than two years, one guaranteed, to get him in Green Bay. Still, it won't be stupid money, and I would honestly say something along the likes of 3-4 years.

Davon House/CB- Now it gets interesting. Would Davon House be interested in coming back to Green Bay? He excelled in Dom Capers system before signing a big free agent contract with the Jaguars. He is only 27, and this one might have more traction than others.

A.J. Bouye/CB- This is one of the few non-released players I would look at. Bouye is a stud, and is only 25. Problem is, it will cost a ton of money to get him away from Houston, more than the Packers should pay. If his price comes down enough, they should take a serious look, but it won't.

Prince Amukamara/CB- This is another non-released player I would take a look at. Unlike Bouye, it wouldn't cost stupid money to get him to Green Bay. Amukamara has always had talent, but has lacked motivation at times. Perhaps Green Bay is just what the doctor ordered. 

NFC North 2017 Moves To Make | Ticket King Green Bay

In our first “Around The NFC North” off season update, we take a look at some off season questions for each team, beginning with the Packers.

The Packers already answered two questions with the releases of Sam Shields and James Starks. The offensive line will be one of the many parts of the team to focus on. Here are the rest of the notable questions they have to answer.

Who will play running back next season? Eddie Lacy's time in Green Bay might very well appear to be over. He has had plenty of chances to keep his weight down, and he has yet to prove himself. It’s time for the Packers to move on. Ty Montgomery is going to move to running back full time next season, and that's a start. Christine Michael is should be re-signed as well. Still, they will need one more running back, and that will probably come via the draft. Several boards have them taking Christian McCaffery in round one, but that is unlikely. Instead, that running back will come out of the later rounds.

The Packers biggest off season need by a large margin, is the cornerback position. They will need two of them. One of them will come via the free agent market, although I expect that Thompson will focus on players cut from other teams, instead of throwing stupid money at free agents and possibly giving up a compensatory draft choice in the future. Perhaps the recently cut Leodis McElvin would fit in Green Bay. Still, even with a signing, their top draft priority should be cornerback.

Should T.J. Lang stay in Green Bay? The Packers have one of the best offensive lines in the league, and T.J. Lang is coming off of his first Pro Bowl. However, he is 30, and injuries will become a concern.

Vikings
Adrian Peterson: The Vikings are stalling on Adrian Peterson. The whole world agrees they need to move on from Peterson because they are better off without him. Perhaps the Vikings are stalling on Peterson because they are making one last ditch effort to get him to take the pay cut they want him to take. They have nine days to make a decision.

Will Teddy Bridgewater be ready for week one: The Vikings traded for Sam Bradford before the start of the season last year following Teddy Bridgewater's ACL injury. Now, they have two quarterbacks. It is likely that neither one will get moved, but if Teddy Bridgewater is ready to go, he will start. Thing is, I don't see how that is plausible.

Should Sharrif Floyd remain a Viking: Defensive Tackle Sharrif Floyd was the Vikings first round draft choice in 2013. At this point, it is safe to say he has been a borderline bust. At this point, it might be time for the Vikings to simply cut bait, and move on.

Bears
Jay Cutler: The Bears biggest off season decision is the status of long time starting quarterback Jay Cutler. The bears are expected to cut him in the next nine days, and move on. Do they have a replacement? It’s probably not going to be found in the upcoming NFL draft.

Alshon Jeffery: Yes, Alshon Jeffery is super talented. However, at this point, he is one bad drug test away from a one year suspension. He does have value on the trade market right now, and that should be the Bears course of action.

Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford: Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is coming off his best season as a pro to date. Now it is time to cash in as he is due for a contract extension. NFL contracts are 10 times more complicated than baseball contracts, so it is hard to figure out exactly what it will look like. Reports have been in the 25 million dollar a year range, which might be a little high.

Linebacker: It is safe to say the Lions had one of the worst units in the league last season. Unlike the Packers, they will go into free agency to solve this question. Expect them to sign a big name free agent, plus a high draft choice.

Five Packers to Watch in 2017 | Ticket King Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers season came to an end this week in Atlanta, as they lost the NFC championship game 44-21. Before we begin the offseason, let's preview the Packers offseason

Who's the GM? None other than Ted Thompson. He has been the man in charge in Green Bay for a long time now. However, Thompson isn't getting any younger, and the Packers have a super-talented prodigy in 34-year-old Eliot Wolf, the son of Ron Wolf. Don't let the age bother you, Eliot Wolf has been actively involved in the Packers front office since he was a child, literally. It would be wise for Thompson to retire, and let Wolf assume the role.

Sam Shields- The former un-

drafted free agent out of Miami rose all the way to the top of the Packers cornerback depth chart, and for a short time, was an All-Pro caliber player and a defensive player of the year candidate on several occasions. However, concussions have derailed his career, and no reasonable doctor alive will ever clear him to play football again. If he does not retire, the Packers will have no choice but to release him.

Julius Peppers- The Packers rarely ever go into the free agent market, and when they do, it usually comes with success. Three years ago, Peppers was released by the Bears, and the Packers swooped him up, converting him to a rush linebacker. Peppers had success his first two years in the role, but showed signs of age the second half of the season. It might be time to let him go, if he does not choose to retire.

Jordy Nelson- Despite his numbers this season, one could tell that Jordy Nelson was simply not the same player he was before the torn ACL. These fractured ribs are going to suck even more talent out of him. Aaron Rodgers has this strange obsession with throwing the ball to Nelson these days whenever he is in the lineup. The Packers proved against the Giants and Cowboys they don't need him anymore. It may be time to release Jordy Nelson, if he chooses not to except a secondary role.

Clay Matthews- Linebackers, like running backs tend to burn out pretty quickly, and the twists and turns of his current career have showed flash and crash. The first half of his career, Matthews was the best defensive player in the league, and is the only player in NFL history to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. Injuries have derailed the second half of his career though. Matthews is one of the highest paid players in the game, and might be overpaid for a player who is only on the field half the time. When he is on the field, his disappears from the game at times. He isn't going anywhere, but the Packers need to ask him to take a pay cut, and expect more out of him in 2017.

Jared Cook- This one is a no brainer. Cook had had best season ever, and he only played half the season. Think about what he can do in a full season next year. Cook will be re-signed. 

Aaron Rodgers "Wild Ride" and the Crashing Halt | Ticket King Green Bay

Usually this is the time when we have T.J. Bryce do a “Stock Market Report," essentially a refreshing way to review a football game. However, for the NFC championship game Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, there's really no point. There's nothing to review. That game went how he predicted that it would it would go, down to the minute by minute details. He predicted that “Packers would come out flat on offense, the Falcons would jump up big early, and the Packers would score late to save face.” So after the mourning period had passed, we thought we would post his last Packers post of the season.  

“I'm not mad. I'm not angry. I'm not upset. I'm not even sad. The Packers did not choke, they did not blow it, they did not screw up, nor did they fold under pressure. Don't blame the controversial non-safety in the second quarter. It was the correct call. Don't blame the Mason Crosby missed field goal. That had very little effect on the outcome of the game. There's nobody to blame here. Literally. There is nobody, anywhere, they can blame for this loss.

You want to know what you blame? They ran out of players, and that's where you lay the blame. This goes way beyond the typical “oh they have suffered a lot of injuries.” I've been sitting here the last few weeks laughing at the Packers injury updates. That's all you can do. Their choices at cornerback today were a badly wounded Damarious Randall, who had no business playing in this game, or these playoffs for that matter. Randall has been playing with a pulled groin for a few weeks now. Have you ever tried to move with a pulled groin? Yeah, it hurts, BAD. But he had had to play, because they had nobody else. Their next choice was the also badly wounded Quinten Rollins, who just cleared concussion protocol late this week, has dealt with injuries all season, and the only reason he was active for this game was because it was the NFC championship game. If it were week number three in September, neither Randall nor Rollins would have been anywhere near the field today. The rest of their choices were LaDarius Gunter, whom the original plan was for him to be the fifth cornerback this season, and the 13^th and 14^th or whatever they're on cornerbacks they have played this season. So yeah, let's recap. Their number 2 and 3 corners, both badly wounded, 5, 13, and 14. Just think about that for a while. To make a long story short, they finally ran out of street free agents to run out there on defense and their offense got so banged up they couldn't carry them anymore.

I knew this was coming though at some point, I knew all week it was going to happen, and I knew it was going to go down in this manner. Joyrides, no matter how much fun they are, always end in a crash.  Packers fans got in Aaron’s car back in early November, went for a joyride with him, and finally crashed, Sunday afternoon, in the Georgia Dome.  He was behind the wheel, and what a crazy, ridiculous, wild, insane, fun ride he took us all on. Forget about the NFC championship game. For two months, Aaron Rodgers played the quarterback position better than it has ever been played. You need eyes, not stats, to realize this. I could go on and on about that right now, but that is what I've spent the last two months doing. Instead, I will say this. Right now I feel like I'm in a group of people that just crashed a car via a joyride, we are all sitting on the ground, smiling, saying to ourselves, “that was fun.”

So, hats off to you Aaron Rodgers, and thank you for taking us on this wild ride. I wouldn't trade the last two months for anything. Even though it did not result in a Super Bowl win, that doesn't matter. The last two months shall be forever remembered as “Mr. Rodgers’ Wild Ride.”

Packers Tickets for Upcoming Lions Game at Ford Field Still Available | Ticket King Inc.

The Packers won their fifth straight game this weekend, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 38-25. Green Bay was ahead 38-13 before the Vikings scored a couple of late touchdowns. For the Packers, the win sets up a “winner-take-all” showdown in Detroit against the Lions next week, a game that has already been flexed to Sunday Night Football. Packers vs Lions tickets are in demand, as both teams have so much to play for. It’s going to be an exciting night at Ford Field this Sunday!

For the Vikings, that loss ends their season, as they have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Vikings, who started 5-0, are just 2-8 in their last 10 games, and there is a serious rebellion going on against head coach Mike Zimmer right now. If what is being reported is true, and what the players decided to do against the Packers this weekend, their actions do not help matters.

Remember how he was the worst “statistical” quarterback in the league a month into the season? Those naysayers are long gone. He's back. This past Saturday, he put together another elite performance. Rodgers finished the day 28 of 38 for 347 yards and four touchdowns. He made a clear case for MVP, but the four game losing streak earlier in the season may put a damper thinks. We’ll see what the injury to Derek Carr does for voting, and the Cowboys have two rookies that are certainly in contention.

Jordy Nelson played with fire last weekend, finishing the game nine catches, for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson was wide open for most of the first half, and now we know why. Apparently, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer had put together a game plan for Jordy Nelson, and the players decided they were going to do something else. Going against Zimmer’s plan cost the team the game, as they didn’t “see the light” until the second half, and by then it was too late.

It was also important for Adams to bounce back from dropping to easy touchdown passes. He wasn't great, but he wasn't bad either. Adams finished the day with four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown.

With Randall Cobb taking the day off to heal up, Geronimo Allison got the opportunity for more playing time. He finished the game with four catches for 66 yards. Allison gives the Packers another productive player to rotate on and off the field. Since the start of training camp, Allison has gone from eighth on the depth chart to fourth.

On Defense, this is Nick Perry’s best season to date. After a recent injury, it was imperative that the Packers get him back on the field as soon as possible. Perry finished the game with two sacks, bringing his total to 10 on the season.

Ty Montgomery, the converted wide receiver could have had the chance to break out against the Vikings, but Minnesota is a solid team against the run, on the road. Strangely, they are almost a top ten team against the run, on the road.  At home, they seem to give up more yards. With that, fans should not have expected him to pop off 150 yards yet again. The game plan turned into a pass crazy afternoon, and Montgomery wasn’t necessarily the “go to” guy.

During this entire win streak, the Packers have built sizable leads, and let the opposition make some fourth quarter noise, making the game closer than it seems. Dom Capers lightens up on the blitzes late in the game, choosing to protect the backfield, and that can make it seem like the defense is taking their foot off the gas pedal. It’s more about giving up some yardage and making sure that the cornerbacks have help, keeping the quick scores out of reach. Expect the Lions to play their best game of the season this Sunday night. The same goes for Green Bay.